


Know Thy Enemy

by Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw



Category: Mass Effect - All Media Types, Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Crack, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-13 07:50:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12979452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw/pseuds/Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw
Summary: In which the Archon attempts to put his insight into Ryder's psyche to good use. Well, interesting use.





	Know Thy Enemy

**Author's Note:**

> Beta by imaginary_golux and starbird

The Archon did not like to admit having been bested. He had put a good face on the Pathfinder’s escape in front of Primus, that quarrelsome cur. But the fact remained that three primitives had boarded his ship, killed dozens of his soldiers, liberated valuable specimens, and found the information they were seeking. 

Still, he had gained valuable insights into the mind of this ‘Pathfinder.’ He dissected this thought further. While he had taken certain failsafe measures as to his foe, there was always the possibility that the transmitter he had planted would be countered before the ideal time to use it. And regardless, in the interim, superior understanding of this ‘Ryder’ creature could allow for superior modeling and anticipation of its actions. And that would allow him to reach Meridian with ease.

So. What factors could explain its success against him? His ship was faster, larger, better-armed. His crew was composed of kett, not some mish-mash of inferiors. Still, it was a factor that would need to be controlled for. He had already had some success exalting the ‘krogan;’ he made a note to accelerate study of the other Milky Way species for exaltation but otherwise tabled that point. Other components could not be readily simulated or copied: its training, family upbringing, and AI interface. That left him with a dwindling number of plausible yet attainable alternatives.

***

“Your reverence?” Primus opened the door to the Archon’s chambers. “As you know, I would not ordinarily interrupt you here, but an unexpected complication has arisen--” Primus stopped dead. A partially-assembled scale model of a kett cruiser lay on a table, clearly a work in progress. The task which had drawn the Archon’s attention away from this triviality was a small rodent in a cage with no scientific equipment. A small rodent which the Archon was...feeding? And...cooing to? “Your reverence?!”

“Primus! I was…” The Archon’s hands clasped behind him. “Conducting a thought experiment.”

“I see,” Primus lied. Oh, to have had a camera. Or perhaps a complete suite of audiovisual recording equipment. “As I was saying, an unexpected complication with the exaltation of the krogan.”

“I see,” the Archon rumbled. “I will be down momentarily.” First he had to finish feeding Mr. Fuzzy--ahem--his thought experiment. Then he needed to plan Primus’s assassination. But then, yes, the great work would require his undivided attention.


End file.
